1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to food dispensing apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus which warms and dispenses a complete meal from within a refrigerated housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There are several different types of food dispensing apparatus from which a user may select a particular food item, such as an individual element or a complete meal. Most of the apparatus include a plurality of separate compartments, each of which compartments has its own door so that a single element may be paid for and may be selected. Each individual item is accordingly selected and paid for. Obviously, such apparatus is cumbersome and complicated in that a plurality of compartments must be serviced. Moreover, the apparatus is costly due to the many doors and compartments involved.
There are also other types of food dispensing apparatus, such as cabinets in which there is a single dispenser opening from which any of a plurality of elements may be dispensed. Within the apparatus, which is some type of cabinet or housing, there is a plurality of vertically oriented racks. Each vertical rack includes different compartments for holding the same element. When a coin is inserted to pay for an element, a button is pushed or a handle is pulled to select the vertical stack from which an item is to be dispensed. The action of pushing a selector switch or pulling a handle, or the like, simply causes the bottommost element from a particular stack to be actuated to release the element which falls through a chute to the dispensing opening. The user then removes the selected item from the opening.
There are, of course, many other different types of apparatus, but all are generally similar. A coin or bill is used to pay for an item, the item is selected, and the item is removed from either a compartment or from the bottom of a chute or the like. Such types of dispensing apparatus have been in use for many years.
With the advent of such things as microwave ovens, it has become possible to have complete meals served from a refrigerated cabinet by having the selected meal warmed in a microwave oven. An example of apparatus for accomplishing this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,651. The '651 apparatus has some inherent problems, such as the loading and dispensing system. The entire front of the cabinet or housing must be removed in order to load meals into the cabinet. In addition, the microwave oven must also be removed in order to load meals into the cabinet. The meal packages are handled by relatively complicated handling systems, including movable racks, chutes, etc.
The apparatus of the present invention overcomes the problems of the apparatus of the '651 patent and the other prior art by simplifying the loading of the meals into the housing and by simplifying the loading of a meal package into and out of a microwave oven.